Overton told CNN at the time he didn't like thinking or talking about the war, saying he "forgot all that stuff."

Overton was a longtime resident of Austin, Texas, according to CNN affiliate KXAN, living on a street -- Richard Overton Avenue -- renamed for him.

He told CNN in 2013 that he credited God for living so long but said he didn't take any medicine and enjoyed his vices.

"I drink whiskey in my coffee. Sometimes I drink it straight," he said when he was 107. "I smoke my cigars, blow the smoke out; I don't swallow it."

In a statement Thursday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called Overton "an American icon and a Texas legend."

"With his quick wit and kind spirit he touched the lives of so many, and I am deeply honored to have known him," Abbott said. "Richard Overton made us proud to be Texans and proud to be Americans. We can never repay Richard Overton for his service to our nation and for his lasting impact on the Lone Star State."

"I still walk, I still talk, and I still drive," Overton said on camera, before hopping into his Ford F100 Custom pickup truck.

Overton also said in the film he liked to go to church and enjoyed the singing. He also loved caring for his cats.

Overton's family and friends celebrated his 112th birthday in May by visiting him at his home, KXAN reported.

"I feel fine every day," KXAN quoted him as telling photographers at the event. "No pain and no aches."

At the party, a friend had made T-shirts to sell to raise support for Overton's around-the-clock at-home care. On them, the secret to longevity Overton reportedly gave TV host and comedian Steve Harvey: "Keep living, don't die."